The Lexus GS is a very good luxury sports sedan, that competes in a declining-yet-very competitive segment of the market.
New for 2020: 2020 might be the last year of production for the GS. The sedan segment as a whole has been declining globally, and since 2018 Lexus has stopped offering the GS in Europe. As the worst-selling sedan in the luxury brand’s lineup, it has been estimated that the GS will be axed.
In the meantime, the base GS 300 has been discontinued for 2020, while the GS 350 has remained unchanged.
For all of Lexus’ success, the company’s GS mid-luxury sedan has never been able to keep pace with its other models, let alone major competitors like the BMW 5 Series or Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Its current generation, launched for 2013 and redesigned for 2016, offers a very compelling proposition at an attractive price, but was never able to truly threaten the German trinity.
After dropping the hybrid and four-cylinder versions, the only variant on sale for 2020 (other than the sporty GS F) is the GS 350. As before, it carries a 3.5-liter V6 unit that produces 311 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque and manages to hit 60 miles per hour in under 5.7 seconds while still averaging 23 mpg in combined highway/city driving. It is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and is offered in both RWD and AWD options.
The F Sport package is available with Lexus’ Dynamic Rear Steering. This four-wheel steering system allows the rear wheels to automatically turn up to two degrees while cornering which aids turn-in and stability.
The GS F is a different beast entirely, with a 5.0-liter V8 producing 467 horsepower and a dynamically focused chassis. It might be lagging in performance against its forced induction engined rivals, but it gets our sympathy for being the last of the breed, having a wicked, high-revving, naturally aspirated engine with sharp responses and a V8 roar to die for.